A truck driver lost control of his 40-ton truck in Essen and caused an accident in which five people were injured. The vehicle loaded with food collided with several cars and a bus on Monday evening and then tipped on its side, said a fire department spokesman. The truck buried a car halfway under it.

One person was stuck in the car and was rescued by firefighters. The truck driver also had to be freed through the windshield. The five injured people, including three seriously injured, were all taken to a hospital for treatment.

The truck's diesel tank also ripped off in the accident, causing several hundred liters of diesel fuel to spill over the road. The rescue workers were offered "a picture of the devastation", said the fire department spokesman.

According to the information, the cleaning and salvage work was still ongoing on Tuesday morning. It was initially unclear why the driver lost control of the truck. The police are investigating the exact cause of the accident.